after dark; took the cars at the tunnel in Missionary Ridge the next day, and arrived at Loudon on the 14th; crossed the Tennessee River on the 15th.

On the 16th, the corps overtook the enemy at Campbell's Station in line of battle, when skirmishing and a heavy artillery duel ensued. My brigade being on the extreme left of our line, my pickets became engaged with the enemy for a short time only. At dark the enemy retired toward Knoxville, where we found them next day.

On the 18th, General Kershaw's brigade drove the enemy into their works and our army settled around the town of Knoxville for a regular siege.

On the 28th, General Longstreet ordered an assault on the enemy's works be made the next morning. In accordance with the arrangement and understanding of the plan of attack the enemy's pickets were driven in at moonrise, about 10 o'clock that night, and our pickets intrenched within short range of their works by daylight.

At daylight my pickets and General Bryan's, on my right, commenced firing on the southwest salient and south curtain of the fort, followed immediately by our artillery from Armstrong Hill. The opening of the artillery was the signal for the infantry to make the assault. I immediately put the Thirteenth Mississippi Regiment, under the command of Colonel McElroy, and the Seventeenth Mississippi Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Fiser, in motion, the Eighteenth and Twenty-first Mississippi Regiments being on picket, and was followed by three regiments of General Bryan's brigade, all in column of regiments, and directed against the southwest salient of the fort. Moving slowly, but with zeal, hope, and enthusiasm, through a tangled abatis for about 150 yards, we came to comparatively open ground, where a rushing charge was made upon the fort. The column was arrested in its progress by a ditch from 4 1/2 to 6 feet deep and from 8 to 12 feet wide, fringed with a network of wire, with a parapet about 10 or 12 feet high, the earth wet from previous rains and freezing.

In the meantime, the enemy firing artillery and musketry from all points of their works, throwing hand grenades, billets of wood, axes, &c., over the parapet into the ditch, killing and mangling our men. Our pickets soon silenced the artillery and sharpshooters on the south side of the fort, but a raking fire continued from the west side, fronting the railroad. The intrepidity and dauntless efforts of the enemy, the absence of ladders, fascines, &c., and the strength of the works rendered every effort to escalade them unavailing. Those that succeeded in climbing up the parapet to the crest were shot down, and rolling back dragged all below them back into the ditch. Colonel McElroy and 5 other officers were killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Fiser and 8 other officers wounded. The whole column was thrown into confusion and compelled to retire. The Thirteenth and Seventeenth Regiments rallied behind the pickets and formed, losing in the assault 140 men killed, wounded, and missing.

That evening I received orders to hold the brigade in readiness to leave Knoxville.

On December 4, the whole army moved after dark, and passing through Rutledge and Bean's Station, halted at Cloud Creek on the 8th.

On the 16th [15th], the whole army retraced its steps and drove the enemy from Bean's Station toward Rutledge.

On the 17th [16th], I was ordered to move my brigade to the gap